Assessment of Radiation at Tin Mining Sites, in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria
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International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 12, Issue 7, July-2021 347 ISSN 2229-5518 Assessment of Radiation at Tin Mining Sites, In Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria. Agwor N.E, Dr. Binbol N.L Abstract— Mining has been identified as one of the potential sources of exposure to Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM), as well as higher activity concentrations of primordial radionuclides in the topsoil of mining sites and their environs. This research focused on the assessment of radiation at tin mining sites in Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria. Eleven sample sites were considered and measured using the hand held Geiger counter for radiation and temperature. GPS was also used to measure location and map out sample sites. GIS analysis, Wilcoxon signed rank test and spearman rank correlation coefficient were used to analyzed data obtained from field. Results showed that, samples sites measured in March have a higher mean value of 0.3227μSvh-1 than those measured in July with a mean value of 0.2545μSvh-1. Diurnal analysis showed that there was no significant variation with the time of day radiation readings were taken using Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test, although annual radiation projection reveals that all sample site measurement are higher than the ICRP 2007 recommendation with up to 5mSvy-1 for the highest measured radiation readings of 0.72 μSvh-1. The study also proves that there is a significant relationship between the amount of emitted radiation and temperature. This research recommends that, the public should be made aware and most especially miners, to the dangers associated to radiation exposure as a result of mining and other manmade sources. Dose: a measured level of radiation. μSv: microsievert. mSv: millisievert. Gy: Gray, unit of ionizing radiation. CPEP: Contemporary Physics Education Project. PHE: Public Health England. Exposure pathways: the physical course through which humans are contact radiation. —————————— —————————— 1 Introduction ccording to the Nigeria Extractive Industries routinely and in accidents are what are commonly referred Transparency Initiatives (NEITI) audit report on to as “low doses” [3]. There is no precise definition of “low” A the solid minerals industry 2007-2010, over N2.21 but it would include doses below, for example, 10 mSv per billion was paid as royalty by operating companies, N51.4 year. Radiation doses above 3 Gy (300 rad) can be fatal and billion as taxes by some companies/major players in the doses above 6 Gy (600 rad) are almost certain to be fatal, industry. This indicates the lucrative nature of mining solid with death occurring within several months (in shorter minerals in the country. Mining is associated with by times at higher doses). Radiation that causes genetic products which might be IJSERradioactive, and emits waves damage, which directly damages the reproductive organs, which might be harmful to the miners, users of these by and therefore affects any offspring that individual may products for construction of houses, or even the prolong have after the damage has occurred. Radiation damage is exposure to it. Ionizing radiation has many practical uses in done to genes and chromosomes, which can be passed on medicine, research, construction, but present a health to future generations [4]. Studies of survivors of the hazard if used improperly. Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and of the Chernobyl According to Canadian Nuclear safety survivors in Ukraine have shown that there are increased Commission[1] there are three main types of radioactive rates of stillbirths, miscarriages, and infant death [5]. decay, these are: Alpha decay, Beta decay and Gamma According to Ibrahima, Aliyub, Najibc and Hamza decay: This takes place when there is residual energy in the [6], radiation exposure associated with tin mining sites nucleus following alpha or beta decay, or after neutron around Toro area in Bauchi State were above the safety capture (a type of nuclear reaction) in a nuclear reactor. The limit recommended for the public by International sources of these radiations according to the United Nations Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). Similarly, Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation [2] Wapwera, Ayanbimpe and Odit [7] observed the traces of include exposure from cosmic radiation, exposure from X-ray, beta-ray and gamma-ray as well as the heavy metals terrestrial radiation, exposure through inhalation, exposure such as Lead, Arsenic , cadmium, chromium and nikel through ingestion: trace amounts of radioactive minerals which exceeded the international standards around are naturally found in the contents of food and drinking abandoned mine in Jos plateau. Aigbedion [8] conducted a water. For instance, vegetables are typically cultivated in research in Jos-Plateau State about the mysterious deaths of soil and ground water which contains radioactive minerals. tin miners who used most of the byproducts of tin mining Most of the radiation doses that are received by for construction and attributed their deaths to high level of members of the public and by radiation workers both radiation released by monazites-rich sand used for building IJSER © 2021 http://www.ijser.org International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 12, Issue 7, July-2021 348 ISSN 2229-5518 the houses the deceased lived in. This present research is therefore geared towards assessing the level of radiation emission at selected tin mining site in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. In order to achieve this, the research will strive to: Measure and analyse the amount of emitted radiation in the various towns in Jos South local Government Area, Plateau State. analyze seasonal radiation and temperature variations at the mined sites Proffer possible ways in reducing radiological hazards. 2 Study Area Jos south local government area in Plateau State, Nigeria is located on coordinate 90 46N to 90.76N and 8048’E to 80.80E.It has a total land area of about 5,104km2 (1,971 sq mi) see figure 1 and 2. According to the 2006 population census Jos South has a population of 306,716 and a density of 604/km2. It is the second most populated local government area in the state after Jos North. The major mineral resources found in the study area are tin ore, cassiterite (Sn02), columbite and calcium carbonate (CaC03). The area extent of devastated arable land by open-cast tin Figure 1: Map of Nigeria Showing Plateau State and Study mining is estimated at 316km2, which comprises of mine Area (Jos South) spoils, pits, paddocks, and site of abandoned equipment, mining scar, tailing, mine dumps and ponds, especially along the river valleys [9]. Balogun [10] pointed out that the Jos Plateau mining region covers an area of approximately 3,670km2, about 43% of the totalIJSER land area of Jos Plateau. Source: Plateau state Geographic Information Site, 2016. IJSER © 2021 http://www.ijser.org International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 12, Issue 7, July-2021 349 ISSN 2229-5518 Figure 2: Map of Jos South showing towns in study area. Source: Plateau state Geographic Information Site, 2016. 4 Literature Review 3 Material and Methods Mining the earth of minerals has result in diverse Data on the amount or level of radiation was environmental hazards, ecological disturbance and collected in situ using an instrument called the Geiger disturbance of flora and fauna, pollution of air, land and counter (RadEye G gamma survey meter), the instrument water, instability of soil and rock masses, landscape was also used to measure the temperature as at when degradation and radiation. In recent years little attention is radiation readings were taken. Samples each were given to radiation because its effect is not immediate. In a measured from Guratopp, Rayfield, Turu, Giring, Bukuru, research conducted by Wapwera, Ayanbimpe and Odit [7], Du and Zawan, to cover the Jos South Local Government deaths of tin miners within Jos, were attributed to the use of Area, these samples was collected around February/March mining by products for building, In the developed and then June/July and subjected to further statistical test to countries such as members of the European Union (11), show variability. each member country is obliged to identify work activities Field data collected from sampled site were that cannot be ignored from the radiological protection organized and input into excel with their coordinate, then point of view. This action has increased the awareness of ArcGis was used to extract the excel file and then the potential problems enormously, and most of the EU georeferenced before interpolating the data, in order to member states have now implemented regulations produce a map for both radiation and temperature base on dedicated to natural sources of exposure [11]. Recently the data obtain from the field. Frequency tables, charts and there are a lot of reports on natural occurring radioactive maps, were also used to present the analyzed data. The materials (NORM) with respect to occupational and public Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to show variation exposure situations that have been published recently [12], using the median between dry season and wet season. [13], [14] that have all contributed significantly to the Since the sample size are equal and the two groups of recognition of the radiological consequences and risk observation are on the same population, the most associated with NORM. On the average, the annual global appropriate statistical tool to use was the Wilcoxon signed- effective dose due to exposure to NORM has been rank test, also the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to estimated to be 2.4 millisievert (mSv) with a typical range test the diurnal variability of radiation. The formula for the between 1-10 mSv [15]. Wilcoxon signed-rank test isIJSER given as However, specific individuals residing near 푅 − 휇푅 installations releasing radioactive materials into the 퓏 = 휎푅 environment may be subjected to higher exposures.